Country Music Artist Lends His Voice to Protecting America’s Wild Horses

Monday, March 22, 2010

Washington, D.C. -- The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to add Country music artist Clay Canfield’s support to the organization’s ongoing efforts to protect America's wild horses. Clay is donating a percentage of proceeds from his song, Wild Horses, to AWI.

"We can’t thank Clay enough for his support and commitment to protecting America's wild horses. Animal welfare organizations often talk about providing a voice to those who have none, but with his song and music, Clay is literally doing just that," said Chris Heyde deputy director of Government and Legal Affairs for AWI.

For decades, America's wild horses have faced tremendous pressure from the government, ranchers, the livestock industry, state wildlife agencies and others who do not support the protection of these iconic animals on Western rangelands. The situation turned catastrophic when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that it was considering mass slaughter of wild horses in holding facilities as a means of balancing its books. Instead of restoring rangeland to the horses, a new proposal was recently offered by Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to simply create additional holding facilities in the Midwest and East costing even more money and warehousing additional horses.

"Let's raise our glass to the spirit, and hope that it never will die...to the cowboy inside us, who shines through and guides us and helps all our dreams to fly. Together we have to preserve these wild horses which now are an endangered symbol of the American spirit."

Clay first noticed and fell in love with wild horses during a tour of the West in the 80s. Moved by the plight of wild horses after viewing the Marilyn Monroe/Clark Gable classic film "The Misfits," he was compelled to make America aware of their troubles. He wrote and performed the song, Wild Horses, during concerts in the early 90s but never recorded the song until just last year when he wanted to help raise awareness.

"The BLM seems incapable of protecting and maintaining these national treasures on the public lands that are their home," said Heyde. "Yet, the answer is simple and inexpensive: wild horses need less intervention by the BLM, more non-lethal management when necessary, and more freedom to roam their legal and traditional ranges."